Last month Merge Gaming began accepting players from all of North America for the first time since June of 2011. Around the time of the June player ban, the network also halted new rakeback sign-ups, choosing instead to offer a standard VIP program, a tiered scheme that progressively rewards players the more they rake. Because a whole new group of players are now able to play on the network, I thought it would be a good time to go over what players can expect from these “new” rewards programs that have replaced flat rakeback deals and how affiliates should market these offers. On PAS sites, you’ll see most of the Merge Gaming offers on PAS referred to as “47% VIP,” “47% VIP Rakeback” or something similar. Although the language is sure to confuse some players, we believe that many who are aware of rakeback are also familiar with the “VIP” designation, which essentially references the fact the offer is not based on a traditional rakeback deal, but instead refers to the site’s standard VIP program. Affiliates may also refer to the Merge Gaming VIP program as “cashback” but should avoid the straight “xx% rakeback” language if only to avoid confusion with players who may think they are getting traditional rakeback deal. Old Rakeback Vs. New VIP Programs So what can new players expect who didn’t register for an account while rakeback was still being offered? In general, players that failed to register for a rakeback account prior to June 1st will see lower rates than players who are grandfathered into a flat deal. There are exceptions however, notably for players that put in a decent amount of volume. At Carbon Poker, for example, a player that rakes $2,500 or more in a month will actually receive the full 47% VIP Rakeback rate- 35% from Cash Rebates and 12% from VIP Point Exchanges, a rate that actually exceeds what flat rakeback players earn. A caveat is that players must rake that amount each month to receive that rate. Another exception is the Top-Up Promotion at Black Chip, which has been running for the last few months. Players who take part in that program basically receive 35% right away and up to 47% when raking $1,000 or more. This promotion is assumed not to be ongoing. Other VIP Perks Like many VIP Programs, players are often treated to a variety of miscellaneous perks for being frequent players. On Carbon Poker, top players received reduced check fees (no check fees at the highest level), a VIP player host and event invitations, among others. Other sites such as Black Chip Poker –which offer the default Ace-High Rewards Program -- add monthly freerolls up to $8,000 for players. With No Rakeback, Do Players Need Affiliates? Since the network no longer allows flat rakeback the need to use an affiliate has unarguably diminished. Despite this fact, players still have plenty of motivation to sign-up through an affiliate due to exclusive promotions. Merge Gaming sites are going to be the most appealing site available to many North American players due to the amount of traffic the site receives. Even though the site does not offer rakeback, exclusive promotions including Rake Races, bonuses and Free Coaching are still quite appealing to these players. An example of these exclusive promotions include $10,000 Rake Races at Carbon Poker and Black Chip Poker. PAS also offers a $5k freeroll at Carbon Poker and even added a $25 Free Bonus a couple months ago for publishers. In addition, Free Coaching is available at Drag the Bar at Carbon and Black Chip Poker and DeucesCracked at all Merge Gaming rooms. The Ace-High VIP Program The default VIP Program at Merge Gaming is the so called “Ace-High VIP Program,” which is offered by a few different Merge Gaming sites. In my opinion, these programs are inferior to the custom VIP programs offered by poker rooms such as Carbon and PokerView. In addition to the complex nature of these VIP programs, many players won’t be able exchange all of their points at the max value for their status level. Not only do players have to generate $30k before they receive the maximum rate (45%), but they can’t exchange all of their points at the maximum rate. One positive of the Ace-High VIP program is that players will get to keep their VIP level even if they are maintaining a certain level of play -- assuming they earn at least 1 VIP Point every 60 days. So IF a player generates $30k in rake AND then generates less than $6k per month after that – a point where they wouldn’t be forced to exchange VIP Points at a non-max rate – only then will the Ace-High VIP Program become competitive. VIP Programs; A Snapshot The rates below represent the rates players can expect from VIP programs of PAS partnered sites when generating certain levels of rake. *program based on cumulative rake. Not directly comparable to custom VIP Programs. Which Program Is Best? This question will depend a lot on the player. At this point, the Black Chip Poker Top-Up promotion provides players the best value at all levels but that does not appear to be a permanent promotion. The PokerView VIP program is very competitive at all status levels, despite the site not offering exclusive promotions. With that said, I like PokerView for low rakers and Carbon Poker for mid to high rakers. One additional thing to keep in mind is the various additional promotions that each of these sites offer. Carbon Poker, for example, is diligent about offering players monthly reload bonuses, which add an additional 13% to players’ when they are clearing a bonus. A player taking advantage of these bonuses each month will almost certainly be better off with Carbon Poker versus competitors. Because of all the various factors, I can not apply a “one size fits all” explanation, meaning each player needs to consider their own situation.
In a unexpected development, PokerView players received word via email Monday night that the poker room would be leaving Everleaft for the Merge Gaming Network. The announcement comes with little notice as the site plans to begin migrating to the new network at 12:30 PM ET and be down until approximately 10 PM ET. PokerView -- a Short Window of Opportunity for U.S. players? Interestingly for players -- and affiliates for that matter -- the small window of time from when players started to receive emails until the migration seemingly allows U.S. players to join the Merge Gaming Network through the backdoor and POSSIBLY even be grandfathered into rakeback. With little information at this time, PAS can not guarantee that players will be grandfathered into rakeback once the migration takes place. With that said, if you have time to reach out to your players before the switch-over happens, this could be a low-risk opportunity for your... 1) U.S. users to find an early return to the Merge Gaming Network and 2) allow all players the POSSIBILITY to receive grandfathered flat rakeback on Merge Gaming. If you decide to promote PokerView on this news, just make sure it is abundantly clear that there are no promises that can be made when signing up for PokerView before they move to Merge. Likely Scenarios If PokerView players do not received grandfathered rakeback at Merge Gaming, players will receive the same offer that players receive who sign-up after tomorrow -- 35% Daily Cashback and another 10% from VIP Point exchanges. A player's return will be based on VIP status level, which is determined by the number of VIP Points earned during the month. The highest raking players -- those that generate $2,500 or more a month in rake will qualify for the maximum rate. Players generating less will receive anywhere from 5%-30%. Reasons for the Merge Gaming Move So why is PokerView moving to the Merge Gaming Network? I think there are two likely reasons. Number one, I think it's reasonable to assume that PokerView believes there is a good chance that Merge Gaming will reenter the U.S. market very soon, just as many in the industry have been reporting over the last few weeks. Number two, at three times the size the Everleaf Network, Merge Gaming provides much more liquidity than the Everleaf Network. Whatever the reason, it all happens tomorrow. Please stay tuned for PAS for the latest information on the migration and how it will affect existing and new players at PokerView.
PokerAffiliateSolutions has added the PokerView rakeback offer to the PAS network. PokerView is the world’s only online poker site offering “Webcam Poker,” a truly unique playing experience for online poker players. PokerView is a US-facing site on the Everleaf Network, which also holds an EU license in Malta. Publishers promoting rakeback on PokerView receive 50% commissions -- with 40% going to rakeback for players. The 10% rakeback commission is the highest for an Everleaf room on the PAS network. About webcam poker: To play webcam poker on PokerView, players must use the browser version of the software. Players must ensure that they have a functioning webcam and that the video and lighting meet PokerView standards for players to continually play on webcam-designated tables. Players signing up at PokerView do not have to participate in the webcam tables; players can also play at any of the standard Everleaf tables as well. Below we have tried to answer some of the common questions you may have about PokerView. Why should I promote PokerView? --One of the most popular rooms on the Everleaf Network, the 2nd largest site to offer rakeback to US-players --EU Licensed, room also caters to European players with table currencies in dollars and euros --40% rakeback --Software available as Client or Browser-based versions. Browser-based version offers the revolutionary “webcam poker” --Loose games, primarily available at No Limit Hold'em games at limits of$1/$2 and below What do my players receive when signing up at PokerView? --40% rakeback, weighted contributed --100% up to $600, not deducted from bonus, 10% rakeback equivalent --Free webcam or PokerView T-shirt when making first deposit --Free Poker Coaching through Deuces Cracked (PAS exclusive) --Free iPad promotion for Play Money players to try out the software (available until July 31st) How can I start promoting PokerView? If you are already a PAS publisher, you can begin promoting PokerView rakeback with one click. Under the “Rakeback Offers” tab in the publisher admin, you will see PokerView RB at the top of the list. Simply enable the offer and the room will appear on your site. For the revenue-share offer, navigate to the “Rev Share Offers” tab and then “Request Rev Share Offers.” Make the request on the right hand side of the page. Requests usually take 48-72 hours to process. If you are not currently a publisher at PAS, get started today! Sign-up is very easy and the PAS services are absolutely free. Where can I receive additional information? If you are not yet a publisher of PAS, refer to our FAQ for answers to common questions. Comprehensive information about PokerView and the PokerView rakeback offer is available on the PokerView PAS review. If you have any questions about PAS or the PokerView offer, feel free to contact us and we’d be happy to help.
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